Homecoming
by canny-bairn
Summary: Everyone handles grief differently. Written for CCOAC May Death Fic Challenge.


**Disclaimer – I own nothing!**

**This is my contribution for the May Death Fic Challenge on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum.**

**My assigned character is... Jennifer Jareau.**

**This came together quickly but wasn't that easy to kill off JJ. I hope this fits the brief, the death is mentioned but this is more about the grief... There also really needs to be more Hotch and Henry fics in the jotch fandom **

**Let me know what you think!**

...

Henry LaMontagne hated coming here.

When he was younger, the BAU amazed the fair haired boy. It was where the real life heroes worked. The building housed modern day superheroes who fought battles against the evils in the world and his mother was one of them.

Henry was just as proud of his detective father, but the FBI was shiny and special. There were walls of computer screens, secret hiding places in the abundance of offices he would investigate and there was the fancy private jet his mother, aunt and uncles would fly away on to help another victim.

Now the building was just a teasing memory of the person he missed most on a daily basis.

Stepping off the elevator into the reception area, he should have known there was going to be a welcoming committee spearheaded by his godmother waiting for him.

"Henry Jareau LaMontagne, why didn't you tell me you were coming back this week?" Garcia scolded the tall man with a pointing finger as though he was still four.

Henry rolled his eyes as Penelope Garcia dragged him into a rib crushing hug. "I only just got back Aunt Pen. I came straight here from the airport."

"Well you should have told me you were coming, I could have baked." She reprimanded once more before kissing cheek loudly and letting him go.

"Chocolate chip cookies?" Henry queried with a raised eye.

Garcia beamed widely. "If that's what you want I'll bring some over tomorrow."

"That would be great." The hockey playing Georgetown graduate turned to his two uncles standing in the background. "Hi Uncle Spence, Dave, Derek."

Morgan stepped forwards and hugged him briefly. "Good to have ya back Henry, how was London?"

"It rained, a lot but Dad and Emily are doing well. It was nice to see them." He said to the small group with a half smile. "They're talking about finally setting a wedding date."

"It's about damn time." Morgan replied with a smirk.

Reid stepped towards his godson and hugged him awkwardly. "How was the flight, did you sit..?"

"On the aisle seat, two rows from the front where the exit was. Trust me I listened to your safe flight speech before I left." Henry informed his Uncle surely.

Reid nodded. "Good, in the likelihood of an air traffic accident of course there is no safest place to sit on a plane but generally speaking those sitting towards the front of the plane on the aisle seat have 65% greater chance of surviving in comparison to the 58% of people towards the rear of a commercial plane."

"It's good to have you back in one piece kid." Rossi patted his colleague's youngest son on his shoulder and steered him into the bullpen.

Henry was aware that he looked a lot like his mom. They had the same colouring and mannerisms that was always commentated on throughout the years, so he understood why his BAU aunts and uncles, who loved him unconditionally, were overeager to embrace him but the looks of pity had the young twenty-something backing away from the group.

"Thanks. So the security guard told me to come to this floor." Henry frowned in curiosity.

"We all wanted to see you and well it's not as if we can keep Aaron in the Section Chief's office where he belongs. He's camping out in the roundtable room." Rossi indicated up to the office space above the bullpen with the closed blinds.

Henry paused in the middle of the bullpen and looked around at his Bureau family. "How is he?"

The experienced profiler sighed in heartfelt. "He's coping about as well as you'd imagine. I think there are only really you kids keeping him together right now."

"I should go see him." He pointed behind him, steeling himself to move.

"We love you." Garcia called out as the group of FBI agents watched Henry make his way up the stairs.

"I love you too Aunt Pen." He groaned under his breath.

Stalling in the briefing room doorway, Henry watched the Quantico's Section Chief scribble away on his notepad oblivious to his presence. "Hi."

Hotch's head snapped towards the doorway and his serious expression disappeared into a bright grin. "Hi son, I thought I was picking you up at the airport tomorrow?"

"I called Jack for a lift. I wanted to surprise you." Henry stepped into the room and walked into his step father's waiting hug.

"It's a great surprise." Hotch kissed Henry's cheek and squeezed him tightly before taking a step back to dry his suddenly wet eyes.

"Dad, are you alright?" Henry asked with a small smile as they both took a seat at the table.

"I'm just happy to have you home. I thought I had another day to prepare myself." Hotch retrieved his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed under his eyes.

"It's only been four weeks." Henry consoled. The funeral had been a month earlier but there had been a dark cloud hanging over the blended family since the loss of their matriarch and the second youngest couldn't cope anymore with his own emotions any longer so decided to visit his father and partner in London and avoid his own guilt and grief.

Hotch rolled his eyes at his son's words. "I know but I've missed you. We all have."

"I just needed to get away." Henry said apologetically.

"I understand." Hotch reassured lightly. "I think staying at the home helps Sarah, that's where she is closer to mom, but I know I could have done with a few days away. Everything reminds me of Mom. Hell even your eyes are the spitting image of your mother's."

"Is that a bad thing?" Henry questioned unsurely.

Hotch smiled lovingly. "No, God no, it's not. I love you and Sarah all the more for being a part of JJ."

"How is Sarah?" Henry asked after his pre-teenage sister, who was the spitting image of his mother only with his step father's raven hair colour.

"She's good, I guess. Not exactly back to her old bubbly self yet. I'm no better." Hotch alluded to his uncontrollable tears that were once again forming in his eyes.

Henry looked down at his hands guiltily. "I know I should have been back a week ago."

Hotch patted his stepson's arm encouragingly. "You had to do what you had to do. How are Emily and Will?"

Smiling at the amicability between his step father and biological father, Henry responded softly. "They're good. They gave me some presents to give to everyone but I left them in Jack's car with my suitcases."

"Jack brought you here and just let you face everyone by yourself?" Hotch asked with raised eyes.

"He had to pick up Katie." He expanded.

"That boy is head over heels in love." The profiler bemoaned mockingly.

Henry chuckled lowly. "Don't you mean man, he is a doctor now and Katie is his fiancée?"

"You two will always be my boys." Hotch ensured lovingly.

Henry eyed the agent warily. "Dad..."

The father of three straightened in his seat and nodded in understanding of his son's sudden discomfort. "I know it's difficult to be here without her."

The graduate tilted to his head to the side inquisitively. "So why are you sitting down here instead of that big office upstairs or at home?"

"At home I'm just constantly reminded of what I'm missing but here I remember when our life together was something different all together. Sarah is closer to Mom at home, I'm closer to your Mom here. We spent years here as friends and as partners." Hotch explained weakly.

"Mom wouldn't have liked to see you like this." Henry said knowingly.

The older Hotchner frowned. "Like what?"

"Jack said you had lost weight but Dad, your suits barely fit you." Henry took in the sight of his thin framed parent. He had speckles of grey in his hair and fully grown beard. Dark circles under his red rimmed eyes and it was obvious that sleep was eluding the older man.

"Are you telling me I should be taking better care of myself?" Hotch smiled warmly.

The twenty three year old replied dryly. "Yes."

Hotch grimaced. "I'm your parent Henry, I take care of you, not the other way round."

"I know but we worry." He offered in response.

"You're not getting rid of me anytime soon." Hotch caught the concern on his son's face and flinched. "I lost the love of my life, Henry. One day she was there and the next day she wasn't. I'm doing my best."

"I didn't mean... I'm sorry." Henry recoiled slightly.

Hotch shook his head adamantly. "Don't be, she was your mom. JJ, would be so proud of you, I know I am."

"Oh Dad." Henry sighed softly.

"It's been two months Henry, and yet it feels like just yesterday that I kissed her goodbye before that damn conference. I always thought if we lost each other it would have been earlier on when we were both in the field or later, when we were in old age. I never imagined it would have been a drunk driver who tore my life apart." Hotch mused solemnly. "I know, it's just the grief which makes me feel this way, but life can be a fucking asshole."

"I don't think I've ever heard you swear." Henry laughed in shock.

"I got twelve years to love and be loved by JJ. Twelve years after knowing your mom for years... years we could have had together. We went through so much together only then she got taken away from me by some bastard who wasn't content on taking only his life." Hotch spat angrily.

Henry placed his hand over his dad's and sniffled. "I thought going to London would help me through the grief but it hasn't Dad. Grief just doesn't go away over night. It's going to be hard for a while."

"I know that and I don't want to make it any worse for everyone else, especially you kids but god, I miss her." Hotch revealed vulnerably.

"We're here to support you too. You don't have to be strong for us all the time." Henry stressed, unused to seeing his step dad so emotional.

The Section Chief smiled thinly. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

"Well I had good role models." They shared an appreciative glance before the father stood.

"I shouldn't be laying all of this on your shoulders." Hotch patted the table with the palm of his hands decisively. "So let's celebrate your homecoming. I need to adjust my plans, I had a whole thing planned tomorrow that needs bringing forward."

"No, don't change any of your plans. I want to go home, see Sarah, Jack and Katie then, get some sleep." Henry pleaded tiredly.

Hotch raised an uncertain eye. "Are you sure?"

"I'd rather just hang out tonight with you guys, if that's alright with you?" Henry asked not wanting to spoil his father's evening.

Hotch gratefully placed his arm over his slightly shorter son's shoulders. "Of course, there's nothing I would want to do more. Let's get out of here and surprise that sister of yours."

...

**Thanks for reading!**


End file.
